Dryoscopus senegalensis
The Red-eyed Puffback (*Dryoscopus senegalensis*) is a striking passerine bird of the bushshrike family (Malaconotidae), celebrated for its distinctive appearance and vocalizations. Males are particularly handsome, boasting glossy black upperparts, pristine white underparts, and a prominent white wing patch, all accentuated by an intensely crimson red eye—a key field mark. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm in length, females are slightly duller, often exhibiting greyer backs and sometimes a ye...
The Red-eyed Puffback primarily inhabits the edges of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, dense thickets, and secondary growth, often extending into woodland, plantations, and well-vegetated suburban gardens, typically found at low to mid-elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, consuming a wide range of invertebrates such as caterpillars, beetles, ants, and grasshoppers, supplemented occasionally with small fruits or seeds, typically gleaned from foliage and branches.
This diurnal species is often secretive, moving deliberately within dense foliage, though its loud calls frequently betray its presence. Foraging involves active gleaning of invertebrates from leaves, branches, and bark, primarily in the middle to upper canopy. Red-eyed Puffbacks typically occur ...
The Red-eyed Puffback is widely distributed across the Guineo-Congolian forest zone of sub-Saharan Africa. Its primary breeding and resident range extends from Senegal and The Gambia eastward through Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, continuing into Cameroon, Eq...
Least Concern
- The "puffback" in its name refers to the male's striking courtship display where he inflates white feathers on his back. - Its vivid crimson red eye is one of the most distinctive features and gives the species its common name. - Red-eyed Puffbacks are often heard more frequently than they are ...